I'm Fine
by Crystits
Summary: Cecil and Layla are new members of the Cultural Research Club.What will happen when Heartseed returns to mess around with the six members and things that the new two wanted to keep a secret are revealed and even worse problems than before appear? Warning: This is rated M for rape/molestation.I'll mark the parts that have them that way those who want to just skip those parts can.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

You know when something happens and you're not sure whether it will be good or bad, so you become extremely paranoid that it will turn out for the worst no matter what you or anyone else does? Well, that's how I felt when this strange phenomenon began.

The day started out just like any other day… Well, mostly.

"I'm here!" Cecil called as he threw open the door to my classroom, about ten minutes late already, "I'm here, I'm sorry I'm late, but- huh?" When he actually looked into the class, all he saw was a bunch of students standing around their desks, staring back at me. "Huh?" He repeated.

Suddenly the room was filled with laughter. Cecil tried to hide my embarrassed face as he made my way to my seat near the back of the room. Turns out, the teacher wasn't even in yet. (Not that he should have been surprised, since she was almost always late.) He put his head on his desk in defeat.

Someone tapped him on the back. Knowingly he smiled and turned around to face his best friend, Layla. She gave him a smile, but her eyes told him that she was worried, probably about my being lateness. Cecil reached out and patted her on the head. "Don't worry about it." He said, "I just got up late." He smiled, trying to reassure my explanation. She stared at me for a few seconds, as if she was scanning me to be sure that he was truly all right and not lying about what actually happened.

Soon after the teacher finally walked in and began taking roll. Cecil dozed off a bit till she finally came to me. "Cecil Ishikawa?"

"Here." He replied half-heatedly.

"Layla Nakamura?"

"She's here, too." He said for her. Layla wasn't always as she as she is now. She used to be very outgoing and talkative, almost more than Cecil. That is, until a few years ago when she started to get bullied quite often, mostly because of her height and high pitched voice. At some point the kids even started calling her 'Mouse Girl' or just 'Mousey'. Of course Cecil would try and stand up for her, but doing so always just ended up badly for the both of them.

Eventually the bullying spread to more than just her voice and height. Cecil had to stop getting involved upon her request, since it just made them pick on him for a while, as well, which made her feel even worse. He had tried to tell her he could take it, but she still refused.

And so we have the Layla we have today. Now that They're in High School she doesn't get bulled any more, but she still doesn't like to talk much… Or at all, really. Actually, I think she's even afraid to talk around people she's used to, but he can understand that. After all, he was pretty much the only one who didn't turn against her back then… It's just he wished she would at least talk to him like she used to.

Time passed by quickly during class and soon it was time for break. Cecil took out my lunch and spun around in his chair to face Layla, who had already started eating.

"Do you know if we have a club meeting today?" Was his poor attempt at making conversation.

"We do every day." She said simply and quietly. Still, it made him smile that she said anything.

It's not that he necessarily mind her being so quiet all the time. After all, she was his friend and so he was just happy being around her. It's just that, despite what everyone else might think, Cecil was actually kind of like the sound of her voice and wished he could hear more of it. He tried to tell her this, but she never believed him. (There's that and the fact that it did make him a little sad that she didn't believe him, even though they had been friends for so long now, but at the same time, that is understandable.)

After lunch, the rest of classes passed by a bit longer than the first half, but whatever. When the bell finally rang, Cecil gathered his stuff and decided to wait outside of the classroom for Layla, that way they could go to the club room together.

They two were both in the Cultural Research Club. In their school you _have _to join a club. Cecil wasn't too set on it, but he found out that the other members are graduating this year, and he thought it would be a shame if a club died just because of that. And he didn't exactly have any others in mind, either, so he decided why not. Layla, after he told her my decision, chose to join as well.

While Cecil was lost in thought, he barely noticed just how long Layla was taking to come out. He was just about to go in and get her himself when she burst through the door, grabbed his hand, and started running, pulling him along as well.

"H-hey!" I exclaimed, still surprised by what was going on, me barely being able to keep up. Layla did not reply nor stop, just kept her head down, hiding her face from me. "L-Layla?"

We ran up the stairs (up to the same floor as our club room) and headed towards the bathrooms.

"W-whoa, hey!" He exclaimed, coming to a complete stop and pulling back his hand, just as she was about to pull him into the girl's restroom. "I can't go in there." He stated, pointing to the sign when she gave him this look as if… I don't know; she looked both hurt and confused at the same time.

"Oh, r-r-right."

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Did something happen in the classroom after I left?"

"O-o-oh! N-n-no, n-nothing happened!" She stuttered, quickly turning into the bathroom after.

That wasn't suspicious at all. Cecil sighed and leaned against the wall. If she wanted to tell him, he knew she would. That's what he had decided. And he was sure if it was bad enough, she would. So there probably wasn't much to worry about. Or maybe at least not yet…

"What is she doing in there?" He thought out loud, going to check his watch- huh? Where was his watch?

Wait, no what?! Were these even his hands?! He looked down at himself. Why was he suddenly wearing a skirt?! And were these… B-boobs?! What the hell?!

Was he asleep or something?

No, wait. Cecil looked around at his surroundings concluded that he was in a bathroom. How did he get in here?

He turned to look into the mirror and… Layla? Why did he look like Layla? Leaning in a little closer he noticed… He was crying?

Suddenly the door flew open, slamming against the wall and causing Cecil to jump.

"W-w- me?" He exclaimed. He even sounded like Layla!

"S-s-something is- Cecil, something is seriously wrong!" Cecil? Layla in his body? Exclaimed. Oh, wow, it was so weird hearing my own voice like this.

"W-what do we do?" She (he? Oh lord, this will get confusing) shrugged. He sighed rubbing his forehead.

"Should we tell the others?"

He thought about this for a moment. "No, I don't think so. They'll just be worried about us. We should hold off telling them anything until we ourselves know what's going on." Despite how freaked out he really was, he knew he had to stay calm for Layla's sake. "For now we'll just have to pretend to be each other. Can you do that?"

"I-I…" She nervously brought his hands to his chest, "I think… Ma-maybe."

He smiled and nodded, "Then let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Heeeey, everybody! Thank you so much for reading this! Quite honestly, I didn't really intend to put this up on fanfiction, because of the future content, but... Well, I haven't put anything up in a while and I didn't really know what else I could. Soon I might have a few one-shots, but maybe not. So basically, this will only be updated when I have nothing else to update. **

**Okay, for those who don't know, Cecil and Layla are both characters originally from my Ib fic, Here I Am Again. I wanted to start re-using some of my OCs. In that fic, there was no need for last names, so I never really thought about it, so in this, their last names were kind of a last minute decision (like the title), so they may be changed in the future.  
**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Please review and tell me what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As they walked up to the club room, Cecil looked up at Layla. She as biting her bottom lip, but she still looked so focused.

"I never noticed how much taller I am compared to you. Even I'm actually kind of short myself." Cecil commented. Currently, if he didn't look up at all, he would be looking just below his chest. She did not react how he thought she would, only biting harder down on her lip. "Do you think you'll be able to do it?" He asked. She nodded quickly. "All right. Open the door."

"Cecil! Layla! Just where have you two been?!" As soon as they opened the door, a loud and slightly annoyed voice smacked us in the face. Cecil immediately kicked into gear and put up his best 'Layla' act. "You know damn well how far behind we are! How dare you think you can be late?!"

"I-Inaban…" Little Iori said, trying to defend us while Inaba went off on a rant. Cecil could tell that Inaba didn't really mean anything that she was saying but he knew that Layla wouldn't as he did his best to look sad or maybe scared, he looked up. Layla was making him look petrified!

"Hey, Inaba…" Taichi chimed in, "Why don't you give it a rest. You're scaring them both!"

Inaba finally opened her eyes (she usually closes her eyes and folds her arms when she goes off on a tangent like this). "Oh… Sorry, guys… I was only joking. I'm not actually mad at you two."

"It's okay, Layla." Taichi said with a smile, looking at Cecil.

He nodded shakily and moved to the place where Layla usually sits, next to Iori. Layla followed his lead.

"Okay, but seriously, where were you two?" Iori asked, playfully leaning forward onto the table. Cecil looked across the table to his usual seat and hoped for Layla to answer for the two of them.

"O-oh, uhm…!" She seemed to get the hint, "The teacher had to talk to us." …Whatever, good enough.

"What for?" Aoki asked.

"T-t-to… We, uhm… We were t-talking during class. Y-yeah, that was it!" … Believable.

"You don't sound so sure. Did you even pay attention?" Inaba smirked, folding her arms again.

"I-I- ye- no, I-I didn't!" Cecil felt so bad for Layla. She must seriously be freaking out, having her answer all the questions so suddenly.

"Hey, are you okay Cecil?" Taichi put a hand on his (Layla's) shoulder.

She flinched a little at his touch, "I-I'm fine!"

"… If you say so…"

Business continued as normal for the six of us. Basically Inaba took control as we tried to figure out what to put into the article we were working on. However, both Layla and Cecil weren't saying much. At some point Cecil started to feel a headache coming on, however he managed to ignore it and it went away pretty soon.

Suddenly Layla stood up, the chair making a loud noise and silencing the rest of the room.

"Cecil?" The whole room stared.

"Is something wrong?" Taichi asked.

Cecil's (Layla's) eyes were half opened as he (she) spoke, voice sounding unemotional, "Cecil? So that's his name…" Huh? "I'm sorry, but they're not in here at the moment. Well, they are, but."

What was going on now? What was Layla doing?! Cecil looked at the rest of the group. They were all glaring at… Well, him. Either way, he quickly gathered that whatever was in him was not Layla and that they seemed to have an idea at who it actually was.

He narrowed his eyes and stood up, glaring intently at whoever this was and growled, "What the hell did you do with Layla."

The person turned toward him, "So this is your body. There are two new and one less participants this time. Well isn't this interesting. Anyway, I thought I should let you all know what is happening. Again. I'm sure by now you know how this goes, so I don't have to explain myself, again."

"Heartseed. You've got some nerve." Inaba growled.

'Heartseed' smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be leaving you, then." And with that his eyes closed and he fell to the ground.

"Layla!" Cecil exclaimed, kneeling on the ground. And then suddenly he was looking up at the ceiling and had a massive headache. Slowly he sat up and held his face.

"Cecil?" He heard Layla mutter softly next to him.

Wait, Layla? He looked down at himself and sure enough, pants, long legs, thicker hands, this must be him. He looked up at the worried girl and smiled, "I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache."

Everyone else in the room sighed.

"That damn Heartseed." Inaba groaned, "I thought he said we were done with all of this! And what's with you two not telling us about this, huh?"

"Sorry." Cecil said as Layla and he sat back down, "We didn't want to make you all worry about us. At least, not until we knew what was going on ourselves."

"But that's hat friends are for." Taichi said.

"Yeah!" Iori chimed in, "Don't you guys trust us?"

"Of course we do!" Cecil said, "And I know for a fact that I'm speaking for the both of us when I say that."

"Let's just leave it, guys." Aoki defended, "After all, Yui wasn't entirely into telling you three the first time, either."

Yui? Oh, right, the girl who was a member last year. Guess she is one of their close friends and Aoki's crush. Turns out at the end of last year she decided to get back into… Karate, was it? Either way, she wanted to dedicate her free time to that, so she quit the club. The school was surprisingly okay with it, too.

"So something like this has happened before?" He asked.

The three nodded. Then they told us about what happened in the past year. [A/N: It might have been two years, but I'm not sure.] Whoever this Heartseed person is, he sure seems to of taken interest in the club in particular for some reason.

"But why us? Why again?" Taichi basically thought out loud, as none of us had any kind of an answer.

"Who knows." Inaba sighed, leaning back in her chair.

Cecil remembered something from earlier. When Layla and he first switched bodies and she was crying in the bathroom. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote her a note.

'Are you sure nothing is wrong? You were crying in the bathroom.'

When she read what it said, she visibly tensed up. 'Nothing is wrong, I just had something in my eye.'

'I don't believe that.'

As soon as I passed the note back to her, we caught Aoki's attention.

"Oh, Cecil and Layla. Passing love notes, are we?" He said teasingly?

Instantly Layla's face became red. "N-n-no! W-we're not!" She surprisingly, standing up.

"Ooooooo, suspicious." Iori said, "Come on, let me see!" She reached for the note Layla had in her hand. "I so knew you two would date."

"W-what? No, we're not dating!" Cecil was getting suspiciously defensive as well.

"Come on, you two." Now Inaba was getting in on this, too? "You can at least tell us when you're dating, can't you?"

"We're not dating, though!"

"Gotcha!" Iori snatched the folded note from Layla's hands. "Hee hee hee, now to read it." She started to unfold it.

Layla hung her head and pleaded, "Please. Don't read it."

"Huh?" Iori seemed surprised by the change back in attitude. Layla took her surprise as an opportunity to snatch the note back from Iori. She quickly ripped it up into small pieces and threw them all into the trash.

"Well played." Cecil commented with a smile as she sat back down.

"Are you okay, Layla?" Taichi asked, obviously concerned about her actions.

"Yeah, if something is wrong, you should tell us." That was Iori. Layla stayed silent, obviously searching for something to say.

"It's okay." Cecil said reassuringly. She glanced up at him for only a second before looking back down at the ground.

"I'm fine." She eventually mumbled.

"No, you're not! You can't tell me that you were crying that much just because there was something in your eye." He unintentionally raised his voice, causing her to flinch.

"Layla was crying?" Iori asked, her voice very quiet in comparison to his, "But why?"

"When was this?" Inaba asked.

"She went into the bathroom after class." He explained, "When we switched, she was crying. I thought something seemed off before, but I didn't think that I should press it too much. Now I think I was wrong."

They all looked back to Layla, expecting an answer. It was obvious she started to panic. She started to play with her own fingers and her eyes wandered around the room. Her face reddened as she bit her lower lip. W-wait, were those tears forming in her eyes?

"W-woah, hey, it's okay!" Cecil's hands out in front of himself, as if he was reaching towards her, but she was too far away.

She reached up and wiped away a few tears just as they slipped onto her cheeks. "If I t-tell…" She finally mumbled, "You have to tell the truth on why you were late today.:

"H-huh? Where did that come from?" She did not answer, just continued to stare into his eyes. What was he supposed to say and here of all places. She was supposed to think that that was all over with! And the rest were never supposed to learn about it… "I-I already told you!" He began to stutter, "The train was late today to the station!"

"No. You told me you woke up late."

Oh no. "O-oh, did I say that?"

"So you were lying."

"Cecil?" Inaba input, "Is everything okay? You're acting strange."

"W-what? No, I-I'm not. I feel just like I always do." At least that was somewhat true.

"You're lying again." Layla stated.

"You're even stuttering." Iori commented.

Cecil's eyes traveled quickly around the room. Layla's lips twitched upward a little, probably because now the attention was off of her. He couldn't think of a better excuse so he simply decided to get up. "I don't need this." He said as he left the room.

He wasn't actually angry. In fact, he was kind of grateful that Layla had actually noticed, but at the same time he wished she didn't. After all, this could turn out badly in so many different ways. It was a terrifying thought.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I found it really hard to decide how I would go about writing the whole personality swapping business. I feel like no matter what I do it will be confusing. (In fact, I originally was writing this in first person, but I had friends tell me that it might be less confusing in third person.) The biggest problem is when say Layla is in Cecil's body or something of that sort. When the ones who switched are of the same gender it isn't as much of a problem, but... I don't know. So if anyone has any suggestions please share!  
Also, I feel like I might be getting Iori, Taichi, Inaba, and/or Aoki's personalities wrong... Eeeh. I'll let you all decide.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

School had been over for a decent amount of time, and so Cecil decided to just go home. Once he got on the bus, he took out his phone and texted his mother, letting her know that he was coming home earlier than normal. He also had a few text messages. One each from Taichi, Inaba, and Iori, and three from Layla. Hesitantly he started with Inaba's.

'You're not getting off that easy.' It read.

'You really should tell us what happened.' Was Iori's.

Taichi's sounded exactly like him, 'If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen whenever you need me. Everyone else feels the same.' It made Cecil smile a little.

'Thanks for the diversion. ' was Layla's first. 'But I'm sorry for putting you on the spot. I was about to run out before that happened.' Was her second. 'I understand if you don't want to tell me for some reason, but I still think you should. But I guess that's hypocritical.' Reading that last one Cecil sighed. He knew that she was saying that they both were both encouraging the other to say what's wrong, yet they both refused to say what was wrong.

Cecil sighed. This was exactly what he didn't want them to do, worry. He should have been able to say something to reassure them, like always, but then he slipped up an screwed it all up. It didn't exactly help that he ran off like he did.

'Please let everyone know that I'm sorry for running off when there's still work to do.' He sent to Layla.

Just as the bus was pulling to a stop, Cecil's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it back out as he began walking.

'get bread+milk' it read. It was from his Mother.

'I don't have any money to. I'll run out later to get some.' He replied, a slightly bad feeling settling in his stomach. But it wasn't his fault he didn't get an allowance and was too young to work, so he had no reason to feel bad. And so he sighed and pushed the feeling aside.

"Oh. Dad's home." Cecil thought out loud when he saw the extra car in the driveway. He pulled the trash bin out to the curb, since it was trash day, and then went inside. "I'm home!" He called, slipping off his shoes by the door.

The house was silent, with the slight sent of something cooking. Cecil slipped into the kitchen to see what it was. There stood his Mother in front of the stove, a wooden spoon in hand and something boiling in a large pot on top.

"I'm home." Cecil repeated, standing in the doorway. She didn't reply. "What are you making?" He asked, taking a few steps closer. She put the spoon in the pot and began to stir. "Oh, is it stew? I'm sure it will be good." He smiled halfheartedly.

After she was done stirring she took out the spoon, tapping it on the edge a bit so it didn't drip then set it to the side. She went over to the cupboard and started digging through the different spices inside.

"Is Dad home?" Still no reply. "Should I go and get the things you wanted me to now?"

"He's getting it." Finally she actually said something.

"Oh. Okay." He felt defeated. Taking his bag with him he trudged up the stairs and into his room, lightly closing the door behind him.

That's how things usually went between him and his Mother. She rarely spoke to him. Actually, he was surprised she had said anything to him just then.

Being careful not to step on any of the books that were thrown across the floor, Cecil made his way over to his desk and sat down his bag. He looked around the room just to see how much was out of place in his room from this morning. There were books all over the floor. (So many that the shelf, where they were supposed to be, was practically empty.) There was a little bit of smeared blood by the bed. Some broken glass lay scattered on top of the bed sheets due to the broken window.

For some reason he couldn't remember there being as much of a mess before. But oh well, not like that really mattered anyway. What really mattered was getting the mess cleaned up, starting with the blood (although it probably already stained the carpet).

Sure enough, after he had wiped up what he could, and the light blue carpet left a reddish purple stain.

Next up was the books. Cecil picked up each one and placed them back on the shelf in alphabetical order. At least the whole thing wasn't tipped over like last time.

Lastly, the glass. Bringing in the small waste basket form the bathroom and began to throw in the broken pieces, trying to be careful not to c-

And suddenly he was outside. Guessing that he had switched bodies, he looked down at himself. Pants, seemingly taller than his usual self (not that that was abnormal, considering his own height). He reached up and tugged down a piece of hair. Blonde. Was this Aoki? He patted himself down, searching for a cellphone until he found one and flipped it open.

Yeah, this had to be Aoki. His background was of some girl Cecil had never seen before. That and this just looked exactly like Aoki's phone. He scrolled through the contact list until he found his own name and pressed call.

It rang a few times before there was an answer. "Hello? Cecil?" It was even weirder hearing his own voice over the phone. It felt even more surreal.

"Yeah, it's me. Aoki, right?"

"Yeah."

"Uhm… I'm sorry about leaving you in that mess there. Did you get hurt?"

"You mean the glass? I got a small cut, but nothing serious. What happened?"

"Oh, it's just…" Cecil had to scratch through his brain to think of an excuse, "I was messing around with my sister earlier and it got broken, I guess." That was terrible.

"You have a sister? How old is she? Is she cute?" Looks like that somehow actually worked.

"She's older by six years."

"Older, huh? Does she do older guys?"

"Just what are you planning to do to my sister?!"

"Nothing, just curious!"

"Yeah, sure." Cecil smiled, "Anyway, where even am I right now? I don't think I've ever been around here before."

"Oh, I was on my way home. There should be a small park nearby if you want to stay there until we switch back."

"All right. Oh, and I would suggest you don't go downstairs or anything, My Mom is in a terrible mood, as it seems."

"Seems easy enough. See you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bye."

After the small conversation, Cecil flipped the cell phone shut and slid it back into the pocket he found it in. A park nearby, huh? Well, guess that's where Cecil was heading next.

Cecil didn't really know the area in the slightest. Then again, it's not like he was really out all that often. In fact, there was probably at least half the city he hasn't really been to. This area must be part of that half.

Despite this, it didn't take long for him to find the park that Aoki mentioned. It really was quite small. It only had four swings, a slide, and one of those merry-go-rounds that can actually be kind of dangerous. Cecil walked over and sat on the swing farthest on the right. He never knew it would feel so lonely being the only one at a place like this. He slowly began to swing back and forth on the swing, going a little bit higher each time.

No more than five minutes later he was no longer outside, but found himself back in his kitchen. But why the kitchen? Didn't he tell Aoki not to leave his room?

And then he heard his Mother behind him. "Getting dinner? Hah, getting dinner he says!" Cecil turned around to see his Mom standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. Just past her he could see his Father calmly eating his meal and his Sister also eating, but watching what was happening with worried eyes.

"Here, let me ask you again." His Mom said, "What the _hell _are you doing?"

"O-oh, uhm…" Cecil stuttered, taking a step back from her, "I was just… Going to take some up to my room! Th-that's all."

"Bull shit you were! You know the rules; you will wait to see if there even is some left for you!"

"All right! Fine! I'm sorry." With that he turned back around to head upstairs.

"You better be." He heard his Mother mumble.

Of course today would be a day his Mom simply called, saying diner was ready, as opposed to getting his Sister. And Aoki wouldn't think that maybe something was different in this household and responded to that call like he would normally. Because it's completely normal to do so in other homes.

Not here. Not when you're Cecil.

Cecil is the product of an affair his Mother had years ago. At the time she was happy to be having another child and his Dad insisted that it would be his. The time came and she had the baby. Both of the two and his older Sister have black hair and brown eyes. Cecil has blonde hair and blue eyes. Just like his biological Father. In fact, he looks nothing like his Dad.

'It'll change when he gets older. This is definitely my kid.' His Dad has said.

But when they got the DNA test results and it turned out that it was the other man who was the real Father, everything turned sour. They didn't want to give the child up for adoption and decided to keep it and see how everything would turn out.

Well, it certainly didn't go well. Having Cecil around was like a constant reminder of the single event that almost destroyed their marriage. And this they began to mistreat him for it and take their anger out on him for something that in no way he could control. He didn't ask to be born into this family. He didn't ask to be a product of an affair. Why would anyone ask for that?

As it is now, his Mother basically ignores him unless it's to give him negative attention. His Dad, on the other hand, isn't so kind, as shown this morning.

Instead of going in his room, Cecil decided to take a bath instead.

After he got out and dressed himself, Cecil went back downstairs to get himself something to eat. He had heard his parents in the living room and quietly sneaked past and into the kitchen. The pot from earlier sat in the sink, completely empty. After checking the fridge Cecil concluded that, if there were any leftovers, they had been disposed of. (Even though his Mother made almost a full pot.) He'd have to find something else to eat.

"Hey, Sis?" Cecil knocked on his elder Sister's bedroom door with his free hand, the other holding a steaming bowl of Ramen.

"It's open." He heard her call from the other side of the wood. He opened the door, being careful not to spill his food. Inside she sat at her desk on her laptop.

"Whatcha doing?" Cecil asked, taking his usual seat on the floor in front of the TV.

"RPing on tumblr." She replied, keeping her focus on the screen in front of her.

"Oh? Is this the same one as last time or a different one?"

She snickered, "I finished that one over a week ago. This is with the same person as the last one, and one of our other friends, and we're using some of the same characters, however the plot is different. Thanks to the same characters, though, this is kind of linked to the last one."

"Sounds kind of confusing." Cecil commented, taking a bite of noodles after.

"It really isn't! Not as long as you've read or were a part of the last one…"

"Or maybe you're just talented."

"If that's what you want to believe, then I have no complaints."

"May I turn on the TV?"

"Have at it." With her permission, Cecil got up to get the remote and flipped on the television. "Hey, what ever happened to that one girl? Do you still hang out with her?"

"Hmm, 'that one girl'. Yeah, I know exactly who you're talking about." Cecil said sarcastically.

"Oh, come one!" She swiveled around in her chair, finally looking at Cecil since he entered the room. ""I've met, like, two of your friends."

"Six, actually, and four of them were girls."

"Blaaaah-" She slipped from her chair and onto the floor with him. "You know the one. Long black hair, really short, with the voice."

"You mean Layla?"

"Yeah! Her! What happened to her?"

"She's in my class this year, actually and we're in the same club together."

"Oh, really? Are you two going out yet?"

"W-what?!" Cecil just about choked on his food, "N-no! Why would you ask that?! What the hell, Cleo, where did that even come from?!"

Cleo fell on her back, laughing hysterically. "So do I take that as a yes an you're just trying to hide it?!"

"No! W-we're not dating!" Despite what he said, Cecil could feel heat coming to his face.

Cleo immediately noticed. "Aaaaaw! So you DO like her, huh? That's soooo cute! Why haven't you made a move on her yet!"

"What? B-but I don't-"

"You know you can't hide anything from me."

"But-"

"Cecil. Come on now."

Cecil sighed, his gaze traveling down to his lap. "… Because she's my friend.

"Oh? Oh." At first his Sister seemed a little confused, but she soon understood after and her tone became less teasing and excited. "I've had that problem before. It sucks… Do you know if she likes you back?"

"Not like that, no. I don't think so."

Cleo was silent for a moment. "Y'know, I don't think she is the type to think of someone differently for something like that. Maybe you should tell her."

No, she definitely would think differently. She isn't good with people and is even still uncomfortable around Cecil. If he were to tell her that he had feelings for her that were more than friendship, she would surely be more afraid of him. Every moment they spend together would become awkward (even more so than they already were). In fact, she might even think it's to the point where she wouldn't be able to be around him.

But despite all the negative thoughts Cecil was thinking on the topic, he smiled, "Yeah. Maybe I should."

"That's the spirit!" All of the happiness returned to Cleo's voice as she slapped Cecil on the back.

He faked a smile and picked up his now cold bowl of noodles, "Anyway, I think I am going to go do homework now or something." Cleo nodded, returning to her spot at the desk as Cecil got up and left.

Truth is, he didn't actually have any homework, so Cecil just lay in his bed until he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, everybody, thanks for reading! Around here is where I start to get really super iffy on whether this is actually something you all care to read or not, so uh... What do you all think?  
**

**Also I may or may not upload a chapter sooner than normal. Maybe... **


	4. Chapter 4 (NSFW)

**A/N: So, uh... Warning: This chapter contains M Rated content. For those who want to just skip it, I completely understand. Both the start and the end of the event will be marked by _!__*~*!_ .**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Cecil awoke to the smell of… Bacon? He glanced over at the analog clock on his bedside table. It was still about twenty minutes before he had to be up, let alone anyone else. So who was cooking? And it's not like anyone ever made breakfast this early, so this was really weird.

He continued to lie in his bed until the time he was actually supposed to be up and then started to get ready. After going through his usual daily routine he decided to go downstairs to see what was going on exactly.

"Dad?" He said, still a little sleepy, when he saw said man standing in front of the stove, a spatula in hand, and making pancakes and bacon.

"Good morning, Cecil!" Dad said, surprisingly cheerful, "I sure hope you're hungry. How did you sleep?"

"O-okay, I guess." Cecil replied, very skeptical about the whole situation.

"Why don't you go have a seat at the table? The food should be ready pretty soon."

"Oh… Kay…" Cecil did as he was told. He couldn't remember the last time he said at this table, or if he ever had at all for that matter. However, since this would just be him, it didn't really count.

"Here you are. Eat up." His Dad set a nice looking plate in front of Cecil and sat next to him. When Cecil didn't move, due to the fact that he was surprised, he said, "Come one, eat it!"

"R-right…" Cecil picked up his fork and hesitantly took a bite. "It's good!" He commented, taking another.

"I'm glad you like it." The man said with a smile as he leaned in a little on the table. "Oh, but you better hurry so that you have enough time to get to school."

"Okay." Cecil began to eat faster. Wait, why did he have to eat faster? He still had plenty of time, didn't he?

"Hey, are you okay? You seem quiet." His Dad stated, worriedly placing a hand on Cecil's leg.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cecil replied, "Just a little tired still." The man nodded, closing his eyes.

_**!*****~*! **_As Cecil continued to eat, slowly and barely noticeably, the man began to rub up and down his thigh. Cecil froze, the pancake piece on his fork falling back onto the plate.

"Is something wrong Cecil?" He asked, leaning in even closer so that Cecil could feel his Dad's breath on his ear, causing him to shiver. Cecil's breathing stopped and he completely dropped the fork, it clanking on the plate, and his mind raced as the hand travelled up more and cupped him, kneading ever so slightly.

"D-don-" Cecil was about to protest when the man covered his mouth with his own. Cecil went to push the man away, but of course he wasn't strong enough.

"You taste sweet." The man commented with a grin. Of course he did! He was just eating pancakes with syrup!

"D-don't touch me." Cecil pleaded in a low tone.

"Oh, hush. If you don't keep quiet, you might wake someone, Cecil." Cecil opened his mouth to say something, only to have it attacked by the man's tongue.

Suddenly he was being moved and was set directly on the man's lap. Immediately Cecil began to fight back, thrashing about trying to push him off and the man away. However, the man grabbed both of his wrists and behind his back. He felt something cold wrapping around them in place of the hands and heard a clack of metal. Hand cuffs? Where did he even get those?

"S-stop, p-please." Cecil pleated, trying to somehow maneuver his way off of the man's lap.

"You shouldn't move around so much, Cecil." The man whispered, wrapping his arms around Cecil's waist. He started to undo Cecil's belt.

"I-I'll scream."

"If you do, I'll just do the same to your Sister. So go ahead and scream if you want." Hearing that, Cecil gulped, swallowing and other words of protest that were about to come out. "That's my boy. Wise choice." With the belt completely undone, it was tossed onto the ground. The man unbuttoned Cecil's pants and slipped his hand directly into his boxers without any more of a warning. Cecil whimpered at the cold touch as the hand began to pump his member.

And of course it felt good. Cecil hated the rather obvious fact that his body was reacting so positively to this man's touch. He hated that he wasn't really able to fight back, either. He hated that he didn't even run away from the beginning when he had a bad feeling about the whole thing and never of had to deal with this in the first place.

Cecil involuntarily threw his head back onto the man's shoulder. "So you do like it." He said, his own breath sounding heavier than before.

"N-no, I- ah" Cecil tried to object, but it only told the exact opposite of what he wanted it to.

He felt the man start to grind against him from underneath in addition to the quickening pace of his hand, Cecil gasped as he felt the hard erection rubbing against him through the fabric.

"Shhh." The man clamped his face hand over Cecil's mouth, "Not so loud. Remember, Mommy and Sissy are sleeping." Why did he have to keep mentioning Mom and Cleo…? "God, you're so pretty." He whispered in a low tone, nibbling on Cecil's earlobe.

That last little bit sent Cecil over the edge and he came all over the man's hand and on himself. He felt as the man twitched and grunted underneath him, probably reaching his own climax as well. The man pulled their lips together one last time before unlocking the hand cuffs and forcing Cecil to slip onto the floor as if he were a discarded doll.

"Get yourself cleaned up. You are going to school today." The man ordered before leaving. _**!**__***~*!**_

Cecil didn't move. He couldn't move. He just felt so humiliated and helpless and… Worthless.

How could he face anyone at school like this? How could he face his Sister? Hell, how could he even face himself? What if someone had heard them just now? What if someone ever found out? So many feelings and questions arose in Cecil, he didn't know what to do or if he could even do anything at all in the first place.

Then he felt something vibrate in his pocket.

Right Phone.

No, not now. Cecil didn't want to deal with anything. He just wanted to lay there.

But then it vibrated again.

Fine.

Slowly Cecil picked himself off the floor, buttoning his pants and taking out his phone.

Of course, it was the one person he didn't want to talk to the most then. Layla.

'Try not to come to school late today. ;P' He text said. She really did worry too much. Not that she had any means not to. Cecil just wished that she would let him take care of and worry about his problems on his own so that she could focus on hers.

Without replying to her, Cecil went upstairs to change his pants. Not like he could go to school with them looking soiled in the way that they were and there wasn't enough time to wash them, either. (And of course, these were his only clean pair.) He could just say he got food on them and wear his gym clothes or something. At this point, though, he didn't care.

He phone vibrated again. This time it was from Iori. 'Let's all do something together after school today!' It read. Cecil smiled, figuring it was a good idea to distract himself from everything that had happened.

* * *

**A/N: I thank anyone who made it through this chapter. I apologize if this made anyone uncomfortable or any other negative feelings. **

**I will continue to have a warning at the beginning of each chapter that has this kind of content, unless you all think it isn't needed.**

**Either way, please review and tell me what you think. This chapter was actually like where the plot basically _really _begins, so... It would be very appreciated. **

**Thank you. **


	5. Chapter 5 (NSFW)

**A/N: So... The thing happens again. So if you don't want to read it, keep an eye out for the****_ !*~*!_****, okay? (I apologize.) **

**Chapter 5**

"Hey, Cecil, aren't you going to try one?"

"Huh?" Cecil was pulled out of his thoughts and into the current situation. What was that, again? Oh, right, the club went out to sing some Karaoke. "Thanks, Iori, but I think I'll pass." He replied to the girl sitting next to him, holding out a microphone.

Iori rolled her eyes, "Okay, what about you, Layla?"

With the attention suddenly on her, Layla stiffened. "N-no thank you." She mumbled politely.

Iori sighed and went to choose the next song for herself.

No matter how hard he tried, Cecil could not stop thinking about that morning. He had thought that hanging out with his friends would help take his mind off of it, but… Well, obviously it wasn't.

"You all right, Cecil?" Inaba, who was sitting directly across from him, asked.

"h-huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Same as ever. Why do you ask?"

"You seem even more down than yesterday." She stated, giving him a suspicious look.

"Do I really? I'm sorry for worrying you." He gave a truly apologetic smile.

"You better be." She said in that joking tone of hers that, if you didn't really know her that well, you wouldn't know she was joking.

And then Cecil's view change. Instead of looking back at Inaba, he was watching Iori's screen as she sang along to the song. He looked around at everyone else. He saw Iori, Aoki, Inaba, Layla, and himself… So he must be in Taichi.

"Man, I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Cecil commented, rubbing his forehead. It was weird hearing Taichi's voice instead of his own, even though he expected it.

Aoki turned around. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"We switched." Inaba said. Wait, Inaba? "I'm Taichi."

"I'm Inaba." Oh god, that awkwardness of hearing your own voice, again.

"Cecil." Cecil sighed, pointing to himself. "I didn't think that more than two people could switch at once. But I guess it makes sense."

"I don't even understand this stupid game anymore." Inaba said, folding her arms. After a moment, she looked surprised and reached into her pocket, digging out a cell phone. Oh, Cecil. You have a call coming in."

"Who's it from?"

"Uuuuh… 'Kenchiro'?" What. No, why was he calling. And why now of all times? "Should I answer it?" Inaba asked.

"N-no!" His sudden exclamation made everyone in the room jump. "Sorry… Give it here. I'll just be right back." He took his phone from Inaba and left the room, heading down the hall and into the bathroom.

"H-hello?" He stuttered, holding the phone to his ear.

"Who the hell is this?" The man on the other end was quite loud and sounded very irritated.

"This is Cecil's friend. He's not here at the moment. Shall I leave a message for you?"

"Yeah. Go ahead and tell him tO GET HIS ASS BACK HOME!" Then he hung up.

Cecil began to panic. What should he do? He couldn't exactly go home while still in Taichi's body and it's not like he could send Inaba as him back there. But if he didn't show up back home soon, that man might just… No, no, no, don't think like that. Play it cool.

He calmly walked back to the room to rejoin everyone else.

"So who was it?" Inaba immediately asked.

"Oh, just my Mom. I guess her phone died so she had to use her friend's." Cecil lied, being sure not to step on the landmine called 'say it was Dad and Layla figures something out'. "She said she wants me home soon, so…" As soon as the words slipped past his lips, he regretted them, a sinking feeling forming in his stomach.

"All right, I get it." Inaba said, standing up. "I guess I'll be leaving for now, then, so Cecil doesn't get in trouble." With a wave, everyone said their goodbyes. Cecil hoped that they would switch back before she got to his house.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Layla asked a few minutes after Inaba had left. Cecil was too lost in thought to hear her. "H-hey…" She tapped him on the leg to get his attention. He jumped about two feet at the sudden contact.

"Oh." He said, seeming to remember where he really was, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"A-are you sure you're okay?" She repeated.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Just like I said I was." That was a lie. He was getting more and more not okay, worried that they wouldn't switch back into their own bodies before Inaba got to his house. He didn't live all that from here, so she was probably almost there if she wasn't already.

If she wasn't already… The thought made Cecil sick…

And suddenly he was in his room. His stomach plummeted as soon as he realized where he was. Quickly he went to check himself in the mirror. As it appeared, nothing went wrong.

He pulled out his phone and called Inaba.

"Hello? Do you need something?" She answered.

"Hey, uhm… D-did my Dad do anything?" He was almost too afraid to ask.

"No? Why?"

"Be-because I'm pretty sure he's drunk right now, so… I-I-I just wanted to be sure!" This was partially true, as his Dad did seem kind of drunk on the phone.

"I didn't even see him when I came in, actually. In fact I didn't see anybody at all… Will you be all right? Maybe you should come back or something. Especially if it's not-"

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine. I know how to handle him. You don't, so I was just worried. Anyway, I have to go. Tell everyone I said goodbye."

"All right. See you later." She hung up.

Cecil sighed, relieved. Maybe his Dad wasn't even home after all. He glanced over at the clock. It was already kind of late. The sun would be setting soon.

"I guess it's time for a bath." He thought out loud.

And so he did just that.

As Cecil sat himself into the cloudy water he began to think. Where was everyone? And if he wasn't even here, why would he be ordered to come home immediately?

He decided to just leave it be for now and enjoy his bath.

Until he heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second!" He called, "I'll be out soon." Looks like they were home. He heard the first door open. "H-hey! I said I'll be out in a second!" They were undressing as well!

It finally clicked in Cecil's mind who it was and what might be happening just as the second door started to open. Without giving the situation any more thought, he hopped out of the tub and ran past the now naked man who stood in the way.

"I don't think so!" The man grabbed for Cecil as he ran past, but he was just too fast and slippery from the water.

Cecil ran out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Clothes. He needed clothes. The harder they are to get off, the better, right? He opened his drawers, putting on a pair of boxers and some jeans which, conveniently, already had a belt through the loops and ready to be buckled.

The door flew open and Cecil mentally slapped himself for not locking it. There stood the still naked man, a wide grin on his face.

"It's good to see you, Cecil." He said, taking a step into the room.

"Go to hell." Cecil spat.

"Feeling a little feisty, are we?" As the man came closer and closer, Cecil stepped back until he was against the wall. When he was in range the man reached out and cupped Cecil's cheek.

"Don't touch me." Cecil growled, pushing the hand away.

Immediately that hand came back up and slapped him across the face so hard that he fell to the ground.

_**!*~*! **_"Little shit." The man grumbled. He grabbed Cecil by the bangs and pulled him towards the bed, sitting on the edge and dropped Cecil in front of him. Cecil tried to push away from him as the man tried to pull him closer. He was slapped, again. "Don't you resist me, boy." The man growled, putting his legs over Cecil's shoulders so that there was less room from resistance. "Suck it." He ordered, practically shoving his half hard-on in Cecil's face.

Cecil turned his head away in defiance. It earned him another smack. Surely by tomorrow he would have a bruise.

"Fine." The man grabbed the back of Cecil's head with one hand and his jaw with the other, forcing it open as wide as Cecil's lips would allow. "If you don't want to do it yourself, I'll make you." He pulled Cecil's mouth down, sheathing his erection fully in one movement.

Cecil tried to cough, the throbbing member triggering his gag reflex. Without warning the man began to thrust up, holding Cecil in place.

"Just don't you dare fucking use your teeth." The man warned.

Whatever he said didn't register in Cecil's mind. In fact, he couldn't think at all. All the feelings from that morning came barreling back to him and then some. Plus, his mouth was starting to hurt already. The man's thrusts became more and more rapid, causing Cecil's jaw to hurt more as well.

"Look at me." The man said in a demanding voice. That didn't register with Cecil, either. "Damn it, boy!" He swiftly pulled out, Cecil's mouth still hanging open, and slapped him again. "Do you like getting slapped or something, boy?" He hit him again. "Huh?" And again. "You better fucking answer me and do as I tell you." And again.

Cecil glared at the man hatefully. "Disgusting." He muttered, spitting out a bit of the blood in his mouth.

The corner of the man's mouth twitched in annoyance. Cecil instantly regretted his actions as he was pushed onto his back on the bed. The man grabbed the waist of his jeans and practically ripped them off, the boxers going as well. The man got on his knees on the bed and pulled Cecil closer to him.

"I hope you're ready." The man said, a wide evil smile plastered on his face. Slowly he pushed himself inside of Cecil's backside, with no preparation whatsoever.

Cecil quite literally felt like he was being split in half from the inside. He cried out in pain, earning yet another slap.

"You can keep the unattractive noises to yourself." The man growled. As if Cecil could actually control much if anything that he was doing at the moment. The man covered Cecil's mouth with his own to prevent such noises from escaping completely, thus sounding like muffled moans.

Cecil's arms weakly rose to try to push the man on top of him away or hit him hard enough or something. His attempt was futile as the man simply took hold of his wrists, breaking apart this kiss in the process, and pinned them about Cecil's head with a single hand.

"That was absolutely pathetic." The man commented, whispering closely into Cecil's ear. Slowly he pulled halfway out only to painfully ram himself right back in, shaking the entire bed. He began to nibble Cecil's earlobe, causing him to whimper pitifully. "Yeah~, that's better~." The man groaned, his force filled prods becoming more erratic.

"Hnn p-p-pl-ease s-st-o-p" Cecil cried out weakly, his voice breaking in time with each thrust. The man's only response was a grunt ass he reached down and began to pump Cecil's own dick in time with his thrusts. Shivers ran up his spin as he disgustingly started to feel some pleasure as well.

"See? But you like it. So why should I stop?" The man groaned, "Besides, I don't want to… Have I ever told you how fucking pretty you are?" The man got real close to Cecil's ear again, "You're so pretty… Even prettier than a girl. More beautiful than your mother and sister combined."

Suddenly the intruder pulled out and the boy found himself completely flipped over and on his hands and knees on the bed. And then in next to no time at all, all the action from before continued, completely crushing the boy's hopes of the hellish moment being over with. The man roughly grabbed and tugged his hair with one hand and continued pumping the boy's penis with the other.

Thankfully, but at the same time extremely humiliating enough, the boy finally felt his undeniable climax quickly approaching. By the man above him's frantic movements, he was reaching his, too. And then, just as he could feel the man twitch and let out a loud groan and just as he was about to release himself, the man placed his fingers around the base of the boy's cock, painfully preventing anything more than a drop to come out. Cecil whimpered at the new throbbing pain.

When the man was finally finished and content with himself, he pulled out completely. The boy could feel liquid dripping sown his leg.

"I just thought…" The man said, flipping Cecil onto his back again, his dick sticking up and twitching slightly like a dick that had been denied release. "There's just one more thing that you missed out on, only because you didn't do as you were told. So I'll just do something so it's similar, okay?" And then he started to lick up and down the sides of the boy's dick, taking the whole thing into his mouth. He wasted no time working up to a higher speed and even hummed, the vibrations making the boy sick. Cecil's back arched as he tossed his head to the side, a loud moan involuntarily escaping his lips. Almost immediately he felt his denied climax return and he soon came into the man's mouth.

The man crawled up, taking hold of Cecil's chin and connected their lips. He forced the boy's mouth open to allow the salty taste. The boy almost gagged at the taste of his own semen. **_!__*~*!_**

The man pulled away and completely got off the bed, leaving the boy to lay there alone. "Your Mother and Sister should be home soon." He said before leaving.

Cecil didn't move. He couldn't. It was just like that morning. No, this was ten times worse than that morning. If he thought it would be hard for him to face other before then he certainly wouldn't be able to now.

He laid there for an indeterminable amount of time before he finally decided to sit up.

Everything hurt both physically and mentally. His cheek throbbed from the many times it had been hit, his head hurt from his hair being pulled so roughly, his entire lower half would have felt better is it had just been hacked off completely, and not to mention all the dark feelings that had formed or resurfaced inside of him.

As he went to scoot off the bed, he could feel his bed sheets sticking to his legs. He whimpered and knees gave way as soon as he tried to stand. For a moment he contemplated staying there and never moving again. However, if he did that, then he could guarantee that someone would find him. So he had to at least clean himself up.

He used the wall and dresser to stand and grabbed the now soiled bed sheets. After dropping those off in the dirty laundry, he decided to just take another bath to clean up the rest of him.

Now no matter how much he cleaned, he still felt disgustingly filthy, but he eventually decided that nothing more could be done and just got ready for bed.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I apologize for this... Seriously, if you're still here, thanks a lot.  
I haven't gotten any feedback yet on this, so I'm starting to wonder if this is actually any good or not. So, uh... Let me know what you think, please? It would be much appreciated.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The very next morning, everything still hurt. Cecil had hoped that he would feel at least a little better physically, but it looks like that wasn't going to happen. There was no way he would be able to go to school like this. He would have so many people asking him what's wrong and why he was walking funny and how he got the bruise and he would have no idea what to say. Layla would probably be able to figure it out right away…

His friends… They'll be so worried about him, no matter what Cecil does, especially if he went to school.

That decided it. It was best to just stay home.

But what if they switched bodies sometime today? Oh god, that would be terrible! Not only would they find out, but they would feel the pain as well! And then they would be even more worried…

Why was he even trying so hard to hide this anyway? At this point meaningless. Besides, it would get better if he just told someone, right? But what if it didn't? What if things only got worse? What if nothing could be done and the man only got angry and even started to hurt Cleo?

Or what if they found out and no one did anything at all What if they only laughed at him for being so weak and unable to take care of his problems on his own?

No, they weren't like that.

Besides, it would be pretty selfish of him to think of his own problems above theirs or acted as if they didn't have this own to worry about, let alone his. It would be better if he just kept quiet about it. It's not like he hadn't had to deal with abuse before. So this was just the next level, right? Maybe he really could handle it.

But for now he could only go back to sleep.

Hours later Cecil was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned an groggily grabbed it off his bedside table.

"Hello?" He answered, holding it to his ear and covering his eyes from the sunlight leaking through the broken window.

"C-Cecil?" Oh! That was Layla's voice.

"Hey, Layla." He yawned, "Are you on your lunch break or something?"

"Mhmm." He could practically see her nod, even though the conversation was over the phone.

"So did you need something?"

"Oh, u-uhm, no, I-I was worried about you." No.

"I'm just sick, so I decided to stay home today!" He lied.

"You don't sound like you're sick. You just sound sleepy." No.

"Well, that's because I just woke up." She stayed silent for a while. "You don't believe me, do you…"

"Nope."

She sighed. "Because…Y-you were a-acting different yesterday. You had t-t-to g-go home early for no reas-son, and now you're su-suddenly sick… It se-seems f-f-fishy." No.

"Well, it is how it is."

"I'm going to tell the others." No.

"Okay. I'm sure they would find out anyway."

"We'll be stopping b-by after s-school." No.

"Fine, go ahea- wait, what?" She hung up.

Cecil sighed and dropped his phone next to him. Great. Just great. Fucking perfect.

His stomach growled.

That's right; he hadn't eaten anything since… Well, since karaoke with everyone. And even then he didn't eat much. So he decided that venturing downstairs wasn't too terrible of an idea. After all, it was the middle of the weekday, so if anyone was home, it would be his Mom.

After hobbling down the stairs, having to majorly rely on anything within the vicinity for support, he peeked into the living room. Luckily enough, it seemed his mom wasn't home either. Cecil smiled, a sudden feeling of inner comfort washing over him.

He stumbled into the kitchen and began to rummage through the refrigerator. He grabbed the jar of jelly, a loaf of bread, and the peanut butter and made himself a sandwich. He was about to go sit in the dining room, but something wouldn't let him and he had to do eat in the living room instead.

He plopped down onto the couch (and immediately regretted it) and flipped on the TV. He surfed through the channels for a while until he finally settled on some random show that had an attractive female lead. Looks like it had just started as well. Surprisingly, it was kind of interesting and had Cecil glued in just a few minutes.

Before he knew it, much time had passed and the doorbell rang. He glanced over at the clock. It was almost an hour after school had gotten out. Whoever was at the door could be a number of people. It could be his friends or his sister, his Mom or maybe… Maybe that man had come home early.

Cecil shook that thought from his mind.

But what if it was his friends? Layla did say they would be stopping by after school to check on him after all, and he was still having much trouble walking and sitting properly.

The bell rang again, twice.

If it wasn't them, by now his Mother would be getting very impatient with him and would likely yell at him for it. And if it was that man, then who knows what he would do…

No, no, no, no, just shove that thought right out the window.

The bell rang a third time. Cecil quickly forced himself to stand and went over to the door as quick as possible and opened it.

"H-hey, sorry for the wait!" He greeted with a smile and leaning against the door.

"Oh my god, Cecil!"

"Cecil, are you okay?"

"Man, you really don't look so good. What happened?"

He was suddenly bombarded with questions. Cecil was taken back a little, but he was legitimately happy to see that it was his friends standing on the other side of the door and not someone else.

"Oh, come on inside and then we can talk." He said, adding a bit of fake bitterness in his tone as he stepped to the side to allow the others in. He ushered them all into the living room where they all took seats. "So what's up, guys?" He said, cheerfully starting a conversation.

"What do you mean 'what's up'?" Uh oh. Inaba didn't sound too happy. "You don't come to school, worry us all, especially Layla, and you're not even sick?!"

"I-I-naba-" Layla stuttered.

Inaba sighed, "More importantly… Where did you get that bruise on your cheek?"

"Oh, this?" Cecil placed his hand over the injured area, "I got into a bit of a fight with my sister last night." Was the first lie that came into his mind.

"About what?" Layla asked quietly.

"W-well…" Cecil bit his lip in thought, "I'm not sure if she would want me to tell you… I mean, it wasn't even my business to begin with."

"So if you're not sick, why did you stay home, Cecil?" Iori asked.

"I… Didn't want so many people asking about the bruise." Seemed like a decently logical explanation to him, and was partly true as well.

"I think you're lying." Layla stated, folding her arms.

"What? Why?"

"Because. I think that wouldn't have been a problem for you. You would just give the same explanation you just gave us."

"Oh really?"

"And if that really was your reason," Inaba cut in, "Then wouldn't you have to be gone for multiple days? I don't think you would do that for such a silly reason. Would you agree, Layla?" Layla nodded 'yes'.

Cecil could feel his heart start to beat a little faster. "F-fine. You don't have to believe me."

"Then will you tell us your real reason?"

"No."

Inaba was taken aback by Cecil's straight forward answer. The room stayed silent.

Cecil stood up. "Would anyone like something to drink?" Without even waiting for an answer he turned to go into the kitchen.

He heard footsteps behind him. "Your house sure is nice!" Taichi, who seemed to be the one following him, commented.

"You think so?"

"Yeah! Seems pretty big for… There are only four of you, right?"

"Yeah. Me, Mom, my Sister, and m-my step Dad. I guess it is a little big huh?" Cecil began to look through the fridge for something for them to drink.

"I'll help. Where are the cups?"

"In the cupboard on the far right."

They were both silent for a moment before Taichi spoke up, "Why don't you want to tell us what's wrong?"

Cecil froze, and then sighed. After grabbing a two liter of pop, he began to pour it in the cups that Taichi had gotten out. "Because… I know you all have your own things to be worrying about, so I don't want to add onto that with my petty problems… Besides." He smiled, "It's nothing I can't handle."

Before Taichi could say anything more, Cecil took out a tray, placing all the drinks on it and began to walk away. "Here, let me." Taichi said, taking the tray from him.

"Oh. Thanks." Cecil said legitimately thankful. It was hard enough for him to walk on his own, let alone while carrying and plus having to make it look like he could walk normally.

"I think it's best that you stayed home today." Taichi commented, right before they rejoined the others in the living room.

"So what have you been doing all day, huh, Cecil?" Iori asked, taking a sip of her pop.

"I just slept most of the day. What about you guys?" Cecil replied, returning to his spot on the couch.

"Nothing really all that interesting." Inaba spoke for the whole group. She smirked, "Except for that little piece of information Layla told me about." The whole group's attention turned to the shyest person in the room.

"W-w- huh?!" Layla exclaimed, her whole face turning bright red, "I-Inaban!"

"Oh? What did you tell her, Layla?" Iori asked, a curious twinkle in her eye as she leaned in closer to Layla.

"N-nothing of importance!" It was obvious that she was really panicking.

"Nothing you say?" Cecil chuckled, "The way you're acting says otherwise."

Layla glared, "There's only one way I will tell."

Cecil flinched. "This again? Come on, it's only a joke." Layla's eyes travelled down to her hands in her lap.

"Hey, Cecil." Taichi began to ask, sensing the awkward silence approaching. How come you're the only one home? Where are your parents?"

"Well, my D-Dad is at work, I bet, and I'm not really sure where my Mom went. She wasn't here when I woke up earlier, either." As if on cue, they heard the door open. "O-oh! Someone must be home."

"Cecil?" Is that you I hear in there?" Of course it wouldn't be Mom. Cecil had to control himself from tensing up completely.

"Y-yeah, Dad! In the living room." Cecil called.

The man came into the room, a smirk on his face, and thumbs around the hem of his jeans. His smile faltered slightly when he got a look around the room. "Oh. You have friends over."

"Yeah. They came to check on me." He faked a smile, "Everyone, this is my s-step Dad. Dad, this is Layla, Inaba, Iori, Aoki, and Taichi."

"Please to meet you!" They called.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you all as well." The man bowed his head slightly. "I'm surprised, though. Cecil rarely talks about his friends, so I always assumed he didn't have any." Cecil bit his lower lip and looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, we just met this year." Inaba spoke, "So we don't really know each other all that well, still."

"That so… Hey, I need to talk to my son for a second, so if you all wouldn't mind."

"Yes, of course, sir." They all got up and left the room. Their footsteps were heard going up the stairs.

"So." The man said, his tone doing a complete 180 from before. He came over and sat directly next to Cecil on the couch, putting one arm on the back. "I hear you skipped school today." Cecil froze, scooting as far away from him as possible.

"W-well… I thought it would be better to…" He physically shrunk a little in his seat and started playing with his fingers.

"And why the hell would you think that." His voice was a low growl, "I work hard and do not need your _fucking_ school calling in the middle of the _fucking _day just to hear that your_ lazy ass _didn't go!" As he lectured, his voice got louder and louder, causing Cecil to shrivel even more.

"B-b-but, I figured, I-I'm having a hard time w-walking, so I-I figured it would be b-better if no one asked a-abou-about it."

"Well you should have fucking put up with it!" His voice boomed as he raised his hand high.

"I-I'm sorry!" Cecil put his arms up, expecting to be hit.

"Go. Just go! Get the hell out of my face." For a moment Cecil just stared at the man, surprised that he was leaving it at that. "I said go!"

"Y-yes sir!" He quickly got up and ran out of the room. He ran up the stairs and into his bedroom. He saw his friends all sitting in a half circle on the floor. As soon as he opened the door, all their attention was on him. They were completely silent, eyes wide, and worried faces.

Cecil was about to ask them what was wrong, but Taichi spoke up first, "Cecil? Is everything all right?"

"We heard shouting." Inaba's voice was quiet.

Cecil sighed and closed the door behind him, then joined his friends on the floor. "Yeah." He said. "Everything's fine, though." Lie. "I'm fine." Lie. "He wasn't really that angry." Lie. He's just really loud." Lie. "He was just unhappy that I wasn't at school today." Truth.

"Well, you don't exactly have the best reason." Iori commented.

"No, I guess not." He chuckled. True, he might have been able to just put up with it, but…

"Hey, can I ask you something that's been bugging me since we got here." Aoki finally spoke up, his arms crossed and looking very serious.

It was then that Cecil realized that Aoki had not said much at all since they arrived. The whole time he only sat and watched Cecil's every move. "Yeah, of course. Go ahead." Cecil replied nervously.

Aoki took another glance around the room before his eyes settled back on Cecil. "Did you hurt your leg or something last night? I noticed you seem to have a hard time walking." Fuck.

"Have I? I guess I didn't notice."

"… What happened?" Aoki repeated more sternly this time, "And you can't just tell me you didn't notice and get away with it, because multiple times you winced in pain. Did anyone else notice this, too?"

Cecil looked around the room as they exchanged glances.

"I did, too." Taichi said with a sigh, "That's the main reason why I went into the kitchen to help with the drinks."

"I thought something was a little off, but I figured I was just imagining it or something." Inaba said, "Cecil is there something more you're not telling us about?"

Cecil sighed. "L-listen, guys." He began, stuttering a little, "I'll tell you the same thing I told Taichi earlier. I know you'll probably worry no matter what I say or do, because you guys are my friends, and that's just how you are. I-I just… I don't think it would be right if I forced my problems onto you when I know you all have your own problems to deal with. S-so I just figured it would be better if I kept it to myself, you know? Besides, this isn't anything I can't handle." Oh, if only that were the truth, "Trust me, if it gets to be too much for me, I will let you know."

And maybe he actually would. Maybe things would get so bad that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from telling them about it. But maybe it wouldn't get any worse at all. Maybe things wouldn't get any worse at all. Maybe things would go back to normal. And if they did, then Cecil would be fine. He had dealt with that all his life, so he could continue to do so easily.

The rest of the group exchanged glances, again.

"Did you really agree to this, Taichi?" Iori asked.

"Well, not exactly." Taichi replied, looking over at Cecil.

Cecil averted his gaze. Somehow he had known he wouldn't get off that easily. "W-what do I have to do to make you believe…?"

They were silent for a moment.

"All right, fine." Inaba was the one to speak up, "If you're sure you can handle whatever this is, fine. As long as it makes you feel better about it."

"What?! Really Inaban?!" Iori exclaimed.

"Yes. I'm sure Cecil can handle himself for the most part. I believe that if he says he can deal with this on his own, then he's sure that he can, in fact, deal with this on his own."

Cecil felt like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thanks, Inaba!" He said with a smile.

"But!" Her voice suddenly got a lot less understanding, "As soon as it gets worse, even just a little, you better let us know! And if I or anyone of us see that it's affecting you we will force it out of you, got it? And don't even think about trying to hide it, either! You know you read like an open book and Layla here is like the biggest fan of said book, who knows every little detail and knows its characters so well that they can predict what they'll say and thus uses this ability to write amazing fanfiction."

"Inaban!" Layla exclaimed, her face quickly turning as red as a tomato.

She was basically ignored. "I'm sure if any of us were to notice something, it would be her."

All that weight was just thrown back on and then some.

"Speaking of Layla, you look like you have something more to say."

The attention was turned to Layla, who was sitting on her legs and playing with her skirt and biting her lower lip. Her face reddened even more than it was before (somehow) when she noticed everyone was looking at her. "I-I-I'm n-no-not sure I should s-say."

Oh no. Cecil knew exactly what she was thinking about.

A few recent years ago, both of Cecil's parents were very abusive, especially his Mother. His Dad, thankfully, at the time was away a lot and his Mother always said that he was cheating on her and somehow it was all Cecil's fault, just like every other bad thing that happened to the family.

At some point, all of Cecil's friends, including Layla, found out about it. They all got together to stop it.

That time was hell for Cecil. As silly as it may seem, he didn't want to be split up from his family, especially his Sister and Mother. That and he really did feel like most of the stuff he was being blamed for was his fault. (Now, however he thought differently.)

Obviously that did not happen. Eventually the abuse slowed down and stopped for the most part.

After something, most of his friends moved away. About a year and a half ago, the abuse started up again when his parents got in a huge fight. Cecil couldn't even remember what it was about, but for some reason it was 'all his fault'.

And now it's kind of a regular thing, again. Not as bad as before, but definitely there.

Obviously Layla had not forgotten about those times.

"Layla, I know what you're thinking." Cecil said as calmly as possible, "And no. It's not that. You know as well as I do that that is long since done with. I promise." He knew he would probably regret those words later.

"Wow, you two are just full of secrets lately, aren't you?" Inaba said, only half-jokingly.

Well, maybe he could at least tell them about that. After all, it was the past and that's the story Layla knows. If he doesn't tell them, then wouldn't she get more suspicious? He glanced over at her to try and see what she was thinking. Sure enough, every inch of her face read suspicion.

He sighed, "Fine. It's not like it really matters anymore, anyway." He paused for a moment, mainly for himself than for anyone else. "Here's some background first. That man down there isn't my real father. In fact, I have no idea who my real Father is. No one ever told me and he certainly hasn't stopped by for a visit, either." He looked away from the group.

"I'm the product of an affair between my Mother and whoever that man is. Of course, Mom wasn't able to hide this affair for long and it almost killed their relationship. When they found out she was pregnant, Dad insisted that it was his child. And so I was born. They ran DNA tests and as it turns out, I'm not his kid. They refused to just give me up for adoption or something, so every day they have to look at me and remember the thing that almost tore them apart."

He took another breather, "And so they blamed me for it all.

"It started off as just ignoring me, but it progressively got worse and worse until one point they actually hurt me so bad that I was hospitalized. They told the doctors I got in a bad fight.

When Layla and a few of our friends found out about it, they did what they could to stop it. My family found out that they knew and it completely died down. They have barely laid a finger on me since."

Cecil took this chance to look around the room at all of his friends. They each had very distraught faces as they took in the information. His gaze fixated on Layla as he continued, "She is probably thinking that something like that is happening, again. I promise, that's not it… You believe me, right?"

"Honestly, no, I don't." Inaba immediately replied, "I'm sorry, but if it was that bad before, it's hard for me to believe that it wouldn't get bad again. I know what I said before, but-"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting Inaba.

"Hey, Cecil and friends. I brought snacks!" Dad called from the hallway. "Could someone get the door, please? I have my hands full."

"Oh, y-yeah, just a second!" Cecil said, going to open the door.

The man, surprisingly, waited till the door was completely open before stepping inside. He had on a wide, painfully sweet, and most certainly fake smile. In his hand he had a tray of cut up sandwiches. He set the tray down on the desk.

"So what are you all talking about?" He said, disgustingly cheerfully putting his hands on his waist.

Instantly Cecil realized that he had been listening. He probably heard everything and later Cecil would be punished for it and everything would go back to how it was in the past only it would be worse than how it was back then, considering how it is now. At the very least, his good like at home might as well become non-existent.

Cecil fidgeted under the Man's hard gaze. He wasn't sure what to say. It was a double edged sword. If he told the truth, then the Man would get angry, but if he lied, his friends would be suspicious, and if he didn't do anything, then both of those things would happen. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball.

"We were talking about a show we like, sire." Cecil was very surprised when Taichi spoke up for him.

"Is that so?" The Man said. "Well, all right then. I guess I'll leave you to your socializing." And with that he left, practically slamming the door shut.

After listening for the Man to be downstairs, Cecil collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"He knows." Cecil muttered quietly, "Oh god, he heard that and now he's really angry. It's over. There's no point now. He's going to punish us for sure!"

"Cecil, it's okay!" Taichi exclaimed, taking Cecil by the shoulders, "You'll be fine! Nothing bad is going to happen to you. He can't do anything."

Yes he can and he will, too.

"Besides, there's nothing for you to worry about anymore, right?" Taichi smiled.

No, there absolutely was something to worry about.

"N-no, you're right." Cecil stuttered, "I-I'm just over reacting. Ye-yeah, e-everything will be okay. H-h-he w-wo-won't- he won-n't-"

Suddenly Layla wrapped her arms around the slightly hysterical boy. She soothingly ran her fingers through his hair and he went silent. "It's okay." She whispered reassuringly. "They can't ever do anything. Not this time. I won't- no. We won't let him. We're both older now and there are more of us. If they ever do try something, we can handle it together."

Cecil nestled into her shoulder, his tears soaking into her uniform. "I-I- it was so scary then, and I-I- I'm so sorry!"

"I know you are. It's okay. It wasn't your fault; there was nothing you could do."

He continued to mumble apologies into the crook of her neck. Not knowing the entirety of the situation and only the basics, everyone else simply watched the scene unfold, unsure what to do.

* * *

**A/N: Wooo, longer chapter!  
**

**I'm a little iffy on the part where Cecil is talking about his past and especially where he kind of breaks down, but eeh. I'm the writer, so I'm possibly just being to critical on it. **

**Anyway, thank you much for reading! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Thanks for, uh, stopping by today." Cecil said with only a slight smiled as he showed his friends to the door. "I'm sorry for worrying you so much."

"Oh, quit apologizing already!" Iori exclaimed, "We already said its okay! Besides, that's what friends are for!"

"You're leaving all ready?" Cecil's Mother called from the kitchen, "Why not stay for dinner? I certainly don't mind. Or why not all night? You all go to the same school, so it's okay."

"Hey, maybe someone should stay." Taichi whispered, the group all leaning in to each other, "You know, just in case?"

"No, no, you don't have to. You've already done enough." Cecil said, his hands waving in the air.

"Yeah, Taichi's right." Inaba said, "But of course, Iori, Layla, and I are out of the question there. So it has to be one of you two."

"Guys. I'm sure it will be fine!" Cecil was actually starting to panic again. He was happy that they would go as far as to do this; too, bug he was also afraid that something worse would happen if someone did stay.

"I wouldn't mind if no one else can." Layla said her voice barely audible.

"Layla, no. I said its okay. I can handle it!" Why were they ignoring him?

"I know I'm the one who suggested it, but I'm honestly not sure if I can or not." Taichi frowned, "What about you, Aoki?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can." Aoki smiled.

"Great! Then it's settled." Inaba exclaimed, "See you all tomorrow."

And then they left, aside from Aoki.

The two boys turned to each other. "Are you really sure this is a good idea?" Cecil whined, "I mean, what about clothes? I'm pretty sure my uniform will be too small for you."

Aoki placed his hand on his chin and looked Cecil up and down, making him uncomfortable. Then he set his elbow on Cecil's shoulder. "Yeah, you are kind of small."

"Oh shut up." Cecil turned to go inside.

"So what's for dinner?" Aoki followed.

"I don't know. Why don't you do look for yourself." He said as they headed for the stairs.

"But I'm babysitting you, so I'm not allowed to leave you alone."

"Babysitting, huh? Then should I start crying and make you feed me?" Upstairs he opened his door and let Aoki in first.

"Yeah, you're right." Aoki said as he took a seat on the floor. "You're definitely more like a dog."

The first thing that came into Cecil's mind was not the animal, but rather the events from the night before. His smile faltered and he looked away from Aoki. "So what do you want to do?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Well, what do you have to do?"

"Uhm…" He looked around his room, searching for anything they could do.

As if on cue, the door flung open, surprising the two boys. In strutted his older Sister, happily calling "Oh Cecil, I'm ho-" She stopped one she saw Aoki, "Oh! You have a friend over… Well this is a pleasant surprise!" She sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. He's staying the night." Cecil said.

"But isn't it a school night?"

"Mom was the one who originally suggested it."

"All right… Well, are you going to introduce us or will I forever be known as the obnoxious sister?"

"You'll be known as that anyway." Cecil smirked, the comment making Aoki smile as well.

"Oh just shut up and do it, shorty."

Cecil laughed, "All right. Cleo, this is Aoki. Aoki, this is my older sister, Cleo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Aoki said, bowing his head slightly.

"Wow, he even has manners! You should learn a few things from him." She came in and took a seat on the floor with them.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, where have you been all day?"

She gave a wide smile, "A date."

"Ooo~" Cecil gawked like a five year old. "I'm gonna tell Daddy~!"

"Shut up, he already knows!" She exclaimed, shoving him playfully. "But what about you? I hear you didn't go to school today. Were you sick?"

"W-well… No. Not really." Suddenly he felt extremely nervous. He had completely forgotten the reason he had said that he didn't go to school was because of the bruise on his face. That bruise, as he said, was a result of a fight between he and his sister, but that's not what actually happened. If she were to ask about it, he would have to tell her a different story than the one he told his friends, however, as one of those friends was currently in the room as well, that would not be a wise choice. If only he had thought through this before hand…

Luckily, it seemed she hadn't noticed it yet or anything… Somehow.

"So you skipped then." Her tone changed to a scolding one.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You naughty boy! What did Mom and Dad say about it when they found out? What did you do all day? And if you weren't sick, why did you stay home? Don't tell me you just skipped because you wanted to. Come on, Cecil, you're I high school now, you're better than that!"

And there was the question. "Mom has yet to say anything, no surprise there, and Dad… He was really angry."

"… Did he yell?" Now she sounded almost sympathetic.

Cecil nodded, "They heard it." He pointed to Aoki, who also nodded.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing really…"

"Why am I even asking you." She shook her head and turned to face Aoki, "What did he say to Cecil?"

Aoki shrugged, "We couldn't really make anything out, because we were in here and they were downstairs."

"Oh." She folded her arms and looked away, "Well at least he had the decency to not yell in front of you all."

"Cleo, Cecil, and friend, dinner is ready!" They heard Mom call from downstairs. Cecil thought that this was the first time he had actually been called down to dinner in quite possibly his whole life. Still, though, he knew it only was because they were trying to put up a facade.

The three got up and headed downstairs and into the kitchen where they were greeted by a delicious smell.

"I'll come in and sit in a second." Cleo said to Mom, then disappearing into the living room.

"All right, sweetie." Mother replied, "You two go ahead and sit at the table. I'll be out there with the food in just a second. Oh, wait, Cecil. I almost forgot. Could you go get your Father? I think he's still in the basement or something."

"Yeah, sure." Cecil thoughtlessly replied.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Aoki asked, worry written all over his face.

It was then that Cecil realized what he would be doing. He had to go downstairs, where his Dad was, alone. "No, I'll be fine." Cecil lied. Then he left, heading toward the basement.

The stairs descending down into the dungeon were dark, with only a small light peeking under a door at the end of a long hallway. Cecil took slow, quiet steps as he got closer to the dreaded destination. What if he did try to do something? They were all alone down here, and in this house, the sound doesn't travel as well as in others. He sighed as he stood before the door, not wanting to go any further. He silently reached up and tapped his knuckles on the on the door.

"H-he-hey, d… Dad? Dinner is ready." He said, his voice sounding shaky.

Suddenly the door opened and Cecil tried to jump back as two arms shot out and wrapped around him. Then he was pulled tightly against the man's chest as they slowly started to back into the room. Cecil's mind screamed at him to do something and to fight back.

"G-get off me!" He exclaimed, pushing away from the man. He dug his feet into the ground and pounded against the man's chest.

"Pathetic." The man whispered, these things having next to no effect on him.

With one more, a better idea, Cecil quickly brought up his right knee, swiftly ramming it into the man's crotch. As he immediately doubled over in pain, Cecil made his getaway. Not needing to think on it, he bolted for the door.

"What's up with you?" Mom asked as Cecil entered the room, again. Cecil only shook his head as he took his seat next to Aoki, who was sitting next to Cleo, leaving three other open seats, both of them slowly picking away at the food on their plates.

His friend leaned in and asked, "Did something happen?"

"No, it's fine." Cecil replied, getting food from the plates in front of him on the table.

"Well, here's some milk for you guys." Mom said, setting down a few glasses in front of them, and then sitting directly across from Cecil. "Isn't your Father coming up?"

"He'll be up soon." Cecil replied emotionlessly.

"Okay then… Well, you're being a downer. So… Aoki, was it?"

"Yes ma'am." Aoki replied, taking a sip of milk.

"Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? How old are you? Do you have any siblings? How did you two meet?"

"I'm a third year, so two years older than Cecil."

"Oh wow. So you wouldn't have any classes together, so how did you meet?"

"This year both he and Layla joined the club we're all in. We were glad to finally get some more members and, as it turns out, they're both amusing people as well."

Cecil watched as his Mom's mouth twitched a little. She hated the fact that he joined the Cultural Research Club instead of something 'more useful' like track, which was his original plan. "Well, I'm glad he has someone like you on his side now." That was an obvious lie. She couldn't care less.

"How far behind schedule are we now, because of today?" Cecil asked kind of wanting to stay on this subject simply to annoy his Mother.

"Considering we were already pretty behind, what do you think?" Aoki replied, "We could have gotten a little done before we stopped by, but Layla was being too impatient and worried."

"Of course she was."

They heard the sound of a door slamming down the hallway. A few seconds later in walked Cecil's Dad, not looking too happy. He stopped in the doorway and smiled, then walked over to take the seat next to Cecil.

"Hey, Hun, how is it going down there?" Mom asked, putting large amounts of food on his plate for him.

"Just fine, dear, thanks." The Man replied, not even waiting till she was done to start eating. "Did you hear that Cecil didn't go to school today?"

"Oh really! No, I did not!" She faked being surprised.

"Yeah! So what are we going to do about that?"

"Maybe we should ground him?"

"No, that seems a little too easy for skipping a whole day of school."

"Could we find a few things for him to do around the house?"

"Still too easy." Cecil could tell that their whole conversation was just screaming fake. His Mom didn't actually care and the Man was definitely just- "Maybe we could do both? Make him stay home all after school and I think I will need some help down in the basement pretty soon."

"All right! That seems like a reasonable punishment!"

The Man chuckled, "Did you hear that, Cecil? That means you and I get some good long Father and son bonding time this weekend!" Suddenly there was a hand feeling up Cecil's leg from under the table.

Cecil could feel his heart drop six feet, but he had to do his best and try to keep a normal face. "Y-yeah." He said, using all his will power not to make a scene and cringe away from the Man's hand as it massaged his inner thigh.

"How is the food, Aoki dear?" Mom asked.

"It's very good, thank you." Aoki replied.

"By the way, it is okay with your parents that you're staying, right?"

"Oh yeah, they don't mind, unless it's a girl's house. Then again, Cecil is kind of girl." Aoki snickered at his own joke.

_'Have I ever told you how fucking pretty you are? You're even prettier than a girl.' _Those words played in Cecil's mind as if they had been recorded. Did Aoki seriously think that, too? What about Taichi? W-were they the same as-

No, no, no, can't think like that! Aoki and Taichi are friends, so they wouldn't… But what if they did? What if that's why Taichi suggested someone stay here tonight? He knew Inaba would say that girls are out, thus preventing Iori or Layla to volunteer. Maybe Aoki picked up on Taichi's idea and that's why he said he would stay and because of this, Taichi couldn't say anything against it, because it would risk him looking suspicious.

But wait, considering what Aoki just said, he isn't innocent, either. What if the actual reason he said he would do this is so that he could-

No, Aoki isn't like that! Th-they were just worried… Right? And they always talk about girls and breasts and stuff. Besides, Aoki already has someone he likes, so-

No, that doesn't mean anything. The Man is in love with Mom, and yet he still did _that. _Cecil recalled the background picture on Aoki's phone. The girl, she… Well, she was lacking in the chest region. Maybe Aoki preferred small/non-existent breasts, so if that was the case, then those arguments were invalid.

Cecil's heart plummeted even further as a sense of impending danger washed over him completely.

"Cecil?" The quiet voice from beside him jolted Cecil from his thoughts, "Are you okay?"

"Cecil, sweetie, what's wrong? Don't you like the food?" The sugar coated voice said.

"Huh?" Was the only thing Cecil could say.

"You've been zoning out for a while now." The first voice said.

"Oh, uhm… Sorry." Cecil apologized, quickly shoving in a few bites, barely even tasting any of them. He didn't really have much of an appetite anymore. "I… Think I'm full." He said, pushing back in his chair and finally ridding himself of that wandering hand that really was the cause of all this in the first place. He stood up, grabbing his plate, and dumped the leftovers into the garbage disposal, leaving them in the sink after. "I'll be up in my room."

"All right, _sweetie._" The Man said, mocking the nickname his Mom was using.

"Oh, hold up. I'll come too." Aoki said, scrambling to get up and take care of his dishes. Cecil didn't wait for him and started for the stairs. "Dude, what's up?" He asked, quickly catching up, "You don't seem so good all of a sudden. Not that you were good before, but. Whatever."

"I'm sorry. I think I'm just a little tired for some reason." Cecil lied, adding a yawn at the end to make it seem more believable.

"Okay then. Well, let me do my homework and then we'll get some sleep!" Cecil nodded, honestly just wanting to get this dreadfully long day over with.

* * *

**A/N: I actually kind of like this chapter. It was fun writing Aoki and Cecil interacting. ^_^ **


End file.
